It’s the month of ~love~, and that means we’re seeing lots of rom-coms, wine, and chocolate in your future. So, if you need another film to add to your weekend watch, we’ve got you covered. After a couple is unable to pursue their special day because of the pandemic (sound familiar, anyone?), the groom decides to throw a surprise wedding for his fiancé with the help from an event planner. Inspired by true events, The Wedding Hustler is now available on Apple TV.

Going behind the scenes, we talked with thee wedding hustler herself, Christine Chang (she/her), on what it was like to literally play herself. Because apart from having acting on her resume, she really is an event planner IRL, and is the founder of LA-based company Live.Love.Create Events.

“Wedding planning was never a goal for me,” she says. “This job title didn’t even exist in my world while growing up in an Asian-American household. So, for many years I worked in the service industry as an event director in Los Angeles. But one day, my friends and I decided to start wedding planning as a side hustle because we thought it was fun. Our services blew up overnight, and after my friends moved away, I became the owner of the company. I never in my wildest dreams thought that owning my own business was viable.”

Yet here she is, doing the damn thing, all while starring in a film. No biggie.

So, tell us about The Wedding Hustler. What was it like playing, well, you?
It was so surreal! Playing a wedding planner in the movie seemed way too easy, but boy was I wrong. The character I had to play is a planner that is so different from who I am in real life. So, although the character was based off of me, she is way colder and strictly business driven. I’m more relaxed and like to have fun with my clients. To me, planning a wedding is like the ultimate art piece for my client’s big day and I spend more time building an aesthetic and emotional vision for them than just figuring out logistics. Therefore, I spent months studying with a coach and practiced until I was blue in the face to make sure I had my lines and emotions set in place when it came time to shoot. The most amazing compliment was the crew not knowing at all that this was my first time on a set, ever. I guess all my hard work paid off!

The movie also features an all Asian-American cast. What did it feel like to be a part of that?
I feel extremely proud to be a part of an all Asian-American cast! It means everything to me to normalize seeing Asian identities in storytelling. This film is much bigger than just another wedding movie, too. It takes you through the lives of Asian-Americans and shows how normal they are.

Now that you’re an expert in planning and acting, are there any other talents you want to take on?
I can genuinely say I’m an expert at planning but acting is still a new art for me. I plan on continuing to study the world of acting and hope to get more roles in the near future. Other things I would love to get good at are the pottery wheel and golf. They’re more of hobbies for me at the moment, but with my personality, I feel like I can make these two into side hustles as well [laughing].

What’s your advice for those wanting to venture outside of their career?
Just do it! Yes, the additional time spent and the hustle will be challenging, but without the pain, there is no gain. I think most will stop themselves from taking opportunities because they’re either afraid to fail or they’re just too comfortable. So, if you have a vision and a wish to try something outside of your usual career, get ready to get uncomfortable.

And lastly, do you have any wedding planning tips for our engaged readers or soon-to-be engaged readers?
Enjoy being engaged for as long as you can because once you start planning, it gets wild, and stress will come your way. However, if you’d like to stay in engaged bliss the entire time, hire a full-time planner so they can take that stress off your plate! We’re here to help, so call us!